The Storm
by KaydenceRei
Summary: Missing piece to 5x4. What happens after Sawyer and them are attacked on the boat? After the flash, during the storm on the boat.//“EVERYBODY HOLD ON!” he yelled, turning and getting a tight grip on the boat as the huge wave came crashing towards them.


**Author's Note**: This is a missing piece to episode **5x4. **What happens after the flash, during the storm as they head back to land, after they are attacked by the people in the other boat.

Consider this.. a slight companion piece to 'Only Human' although its not necessary to read that one at all.

**The Storm**:

"Who came in these?" Sawyer questioned, glancing at the two large boats. "Other others?" he quipped, throwing a knowing look at Juliet now.

Juliet couldn't help but feel slightly offended that he'd _still_ call her an other at this point. She knew directly, he didn't call her an other. But by looking at her, it was as though the basis was still there. "Don't look at me," she stated carefully, keeping her face withdrawn from showing too much. If he wanted to act like a jerk to her still, she could keep up the facade that she had cold running through her veins.

Sawyer sighed, knowing it was wrong to sit there and, in a sense, assume Juliet would know. He dropped his head, looking away with the realization that he was simply trying to distance himself from her after their near death experience in 1954 with the pre-modern Others. First with the flaming arrows, when he risked himself to go back for her as she tried to save a dead man, and then when they were attacked by three 'Others'. Again he had cracked about them being her people right before they'd been attacked, and he could tell it was starting to wear on her.

"My question is, when are they coming back," Daniel stated, glancing at all of them and blatantly ignoring the tension between Sawyer and Juliet. They'd been distancing from each other since the flash in the 50's, and he wasn't the only one to notice.

"Let's not wait to find out," Locke stated, watching as everyone looked at him now. He put his arms out, motioning to one of the large row boats. He watched as they all seemed to agree, and they all went to work pushing it into the water.

Sawyer sighed. Juliet was, of course, right in front of him on the boat. He already knew he'd offended her quite a bit with all the cracks about others. And to be honest, he knew quite well she was as far from being an Other as any of the rest of them. She'd proved it time and time again. But he was still stuck on seeing Kate, that he didn't mind offending Juliet to feel better.

They'd been rowing out in the ocean only for a short time and everyone seemed perfectly content to keep the silence. But there was one thing eating at her as she glanced back at Sawyer from time to time as she rowed. Something was bothering him, something he wasn't sharing but was simply using as an excuse to bug her instead of dealing with it.

It was Miles who first broke boat silence. "This plan sounded a helluva lot better when we were goin' by motorboat.." he stated. "How far is this place?" he called up to Locke.

"Around that point!" Locke stated, pointing forward at the bend far ahead of them. "Not more then a couple hours."

"Oh joy.." Miles muttered to himself.

When Juliet glanced back at Sawyer once more, she noticed he was staring right back at her. And there was something about the way he looked away when she caught him that made her finally ask. "You alright?"

Sawyer frowned, staring down at the water for a moment. How was it that he could be an ass, and she could sit there and ask him if he was alright, as if he was the nicest guy in the world? And when he looked up he saw the actual concern, which made him feel worse enough to tell her the truth. "I saw Kate," he stated quickly.

"What?" Juliet asked immediately. It wasn't what he saw, it was the fact he'd told her that surprised her most. It caused her to stop rowing instantly.

"Last night," he told her. "In the jungle.. before the last flash," he stated, and he wondered remotely if he should go on. But she was listening, and he couldn't help but tell her. "She was deliverin' Claire's baby.."

Juliet glanced forward, starting to row once more. He could see Kate, why wasn't she allowed to see anything she loved during these time flashes?

Sawyer wondered somehow if that meant she was done listening as she turned and began rowing again and he sighed. At least until she turned back to him, still rowing.

"But that was two months ago.." she stated calmly, despite her feelings. Somehow, she hated that he got to see something that he was now missing. In a sense, he got it back, even if it was only for a brief moment.

Sawyer noticed she was suddenly distant about what he'd told her. And he couldn't quite grasp or understand it. So he told her the only thing that came to mind about what he saw as he looked back up at her. "Time travels a bitch."

Before Juliet could voice her opinion to it the sound of the gunshot caused her and everyone else to duck for, virtually, no real cover. "GET DOWN!" she yelled to everyone.

Sawyer glanced at Juliet ducked in front of him then back at the people in the boat not too far off behind them. As another shot rang out he flinched, but he didn't duck back down. "PADDLE!" he called out to them all. And they did, every one of them sat up with their paddles and began rowing fast.

"I THINK THEY WANT THEIR BOAT BACK!" Miles yelled out only half-joking.

"ROW!" Locke yelled, not in the mood for jokes.

Sawyer glanced back and groaned inwardly before looking forward, trying to ignore the shots. Anyone was getting shot first, it was clearly gonna be him.

"Are these your people?!" Miles yelled out in annoyance, a quick glance back at Juliet.

Juliet was just annoyed with it now. "No! Are they yours?!" she retorted angrily. Tired of the cracks about 'her people'.

"Shut up and keep paddlin'!" Sawyer yelled, mostly to Miles. He didn't know why but he felt strangely offended that anyone else thought they could make cracks about Juliet being an 'other' besides him.

Juliet only felt relief, because she was sure Miles would have retorted with another remark if he hadn't.

Sawyer looked back, then forward, that was when he watched a bullet go through his oar. "LITTLE HELP! Little help!" he called out.

Juliet was the only one to turn around, and immediately handed him her oar. She could see the surprise on his face as she whipped out the rifle and turned around completely.

Sawyer's eyes widened and he paddled, keeping himself tilted to the side of the boat as she aimed. She was absolutely insane. She was making herself into a target like that. As soon as she fired off a few rounds he found himself watching in amazement as she actually hit one of the people from the distance they were at. "PADDLE HARDER! THEY'RE GETTIN' CLOSER!" he called out, just as they all began feeling the remnants of another flash coming on. He couldn't help himself as he called out, "THANK YOU LORD!"

Juliet stared around as the rain completely drenched them all within seconds. She couldn't help but feel the irony of the fact a flash that saved them would throw them into another, still dangerous situation.

"I take that back!!" Sawyer yelled out in complete annoyance and anger.

"Everybody paddle, head for the shore," Locke stated calmly. They needed to get out of this storm before somebody got hurt.

Sawyer sighed. It was only rain, they would be fine. The shore wasn't _that_ far off anyways. He found himself glancing forward at Juliet on occasion, but this time she wasn't looking back at him like before the people were shooting at them. He suddenly felt even more like he'd done something wrong to offend her on the boat. But when she did glance back, she wasn't looking at him, but behind him.

Juliet's eyes widened slightly.

"What?" Sawyer huffed out, before turning to look. Suddenly his eyes grew wider as well. "Son of a bitch.." he muttered. "EVERYBODY HOLD ON!" he yelled, turning and getting a tight grip on the boat as the huge wave came crashing towards them. Everyone had glanced back and gotten the message, getting their grips on the boat.

Juliet held onto the sides, but she didn't close her eyes until the last second.

When Sawyer felt the wave dissipate and he was still in the boat, he opened his eyes again. Everyone was present and accounted for.. except for one. The blonde that had been in front of him was gone. He looked around immediately. "JULIET!" he called out.

Everyone else turned, looking and noticing she was gone.

Sawyer frowned, unable to help the worry that burned into him. The wave could've knocked her any distance away from them, and with the way the waves were rolling.. the way it would've knocked her from the boat could have very well knocked her clear unconscious. She could wind up drowning. "JULIET!" he called again, searching the water for her.

"There!!" Charlotte called out, pointing as Juliet's pulled herself up long enough to breathe before another wave crashed down over her and brought her back down.

Sawyer didn't hesitate to stand and dive into the water.

"JAMES!" Locke yelled in shock. The man amazed and shocked him at times. Sometimes he seemed like he hated Juliet, the next he was trying to save the woman. Something he very well couldn't bring himself to understand.

They all watched and waited to Sawyer to resurface.

Sawyer frowned, as he surfaced he was alone. This was where they'd seen her, he knew that for sure. And it wasn't until another wave brought him under that he opened his eyes to the salt water and looked down. The bottom wasn't far below, but just far enough that they couldn't stand. And there she was, her foot tangled in weeds at the bottom as she tried to free herself. But he could see she was fading. He swam to her, not hesitating as he put his mouth to hers and breathed into it.

Juliet couldn't help the shock as the little bit of oxygen Sawyer held, he breathed into her. In a few seconds they both managed to yank her foot out, and he was pulling her with him to the surface. By the time they emerged they both were sucking in air. And she felt Sawyer half-dragging her through the water back to the boat.

She couldn't help the light-headed feeling she had gotten from the lack of air, and she admitted that if Sawyer _hadn't_ done what he did down there, she probably would of passed out, and instead they'd be trying to get her to spit out water rather then just pull her back into the boat half-stupid.

Miles grabbed onto Juliet's arms as Sawyer hoisted himself back in and they both pulled her back in the boat together. He, Charlotte, Daniel and Locke were paddling their way back as Sawyer tried to snap her back into reality.

"You're fine, Juliet.." he muttered, tapping her face slightly to make her more aware, all the while holding her against him, her back against his chest. He'd seen it on TV once, his breathing would help even out her breathing. "Suck it in, stay awake.." he muttered, watching as she tilted to the side slightly.

Juliet was doing just that as she opened her eyes and stared up at him. She hoped he wasn't going to bring up what he did under the water, because as nice as the sentiment was for him to try and save her like that. It was embarrassing for the both of them. Once she had leveled out her breathing, she made the attempt to pull away, but that was to no avail. He was forcing her to sit there and literally, take a breather. "Thanks.." she finally muttered.

Sawyer knew the thank you was honest, even if she had muttered it under her breath. He knew as well as she did that neither of them would be bringing up exactly what happened during that brief moment under the water around anybody else. "Consider it an apology," he told her quietly.

Juliet had closed her eyes, but she opened them up to glance up at him in obvious bafflement.

"You ain't an other," he stated. "You're one of us."

Juliet smiled a little in response. "Thank you, James.."

Sawyer simply nodded his head as a sign of 'you're welcome'. He'd already admitted he was counting on her to watch his back, and she'd been doing a great job so far. He couldn't keep referring to the poor woman as the enemy when she was keeping an eye on him as well. And secretly, he trusted her more then any of these other yahoo's on this boat right now. Mr. Clean may have saved Juliet's arm, but he was still 100% psychopath in his book. Charlotte, well, he didn't know a damn thing about her. Daniel? He seemed certifiably insane in that genius mad scientist way. And Miles.. he was sarcastic, like himself. And he thought he could enter in on his territory, picking on Juliet.

When had Juliet become his territory, he wondered briefly. But he shook it off. Juliet hadn't done a thing to Miles. He could explain himself picking on her with the fact she tazered him a while back, that and he's known her longer. Finally he looked back down at her, meeting her blue eyes with his. "Got one question though.."

"Shoot.." she replied quietly.

"Why do ya' always call me James?" he questioned.

Juliet smiled now. "Why haven't you given me a nickname?" she retorted instantly.

Sawyer was stunned into silence at the question she responded with. He didn't have an answer for her, so instead he said the only thing he could think of. "Touche.."

**()()END()()**

**Just something that came to mind. Hope you enjoyed it!**


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